The Opposition Congress in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state a mere "election gimmick", saying it was "terribly scared" of losing the upcoming Assembly elections.
The state is scheduled to go to polls by the end of this year.
"The BJP's countdown began with biting the dust in the bypolls," state Congress president Pratibha Singh said in a statement
In the bypolls held in the state on October 30 last year, the BJP had lost the Mandi parliamentary seat and three Assembly seats of Fatehpur, Arki, and Jubbai-Kothkai to the Congress.
Calling Modi's visit to Una and Chamba an "election gimmick", Singh said Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur was bringing the prime minister to inaugurate and lay foundation stones for projects in a hurry as he and the BJP were "terribly scared" about losing the Assembly polls.
She alleged that the state government was misusing power and people's money in holding public meetings. "The state has been brought to a standstill by bringing it to the verge of an economic bankruptcy," Singh said.
(With PTI inputs)
